My Freakin' Night Sky
by amaXdear
Summary: A little Mai-Naru social interraction. But don't be fooled; it's not all sunshine on daisies. Naru eats daisies for breakfast. Metaphorically speaking, of course. LinMadoka, BousanAyako, MasakoMystery. Updated rating for slight language. FINITE!
1. Chapter 1

Okay, okay, I know a lot of people will be thinking, where the h-- did she come up with that title? I also know a lot of people won't care after the first second, but it's a funny story, so I'll start my fanfic with it.

I was considering five different titles for this story, all of them taken from lyrics of different songs. These were the original five:

Perfect By Nature (Evanescence, Everybody's Fool)

My Night Sky (Amy Lee, You)

Cold, Ruthless -- Just Like You (Three Days Grace, Just Like You)

I'm Here to Save You (Three Days Grace, Pain)

My Bad Boy (CASCADA)

I asked my friend (TheCrazyScotswomanOfDOOM) which one she liked best, and she was torn between Perfect By Nature and My Night Sky. Neither of them was perfect, so I couldn't decide either. PbN was too angry, and MNS was way too sappy, but I couldn't find one that combined humor, romance, and frustration, so these were my only two options. I decided to poll my friends, and they were being idiots, because that's what they are. They kept going "Huh?" and "What?" and "What are my options, again?". So I finally cracked and yelled,

"WHICH ONE DO YOU LIKE BEST? Perfect by Nature or My _freakin_' Night Sky??"

It was unanimous.


	2. A Special Morning in the Life of Mai

Chapter One -- A Special Morning in the Life of Taniyama Mai

I don't know why I'm bothering to say this, because I obviously don't own Ghost Hunt, but I don't own Ghost Hunt. First fanfic ever, so be gently critical.

Taniyama Mai sat on a couch in the Shibuya Psychic Research office, drumming her fingers on a side table. When they were on cases, this was an exciting job … occasionally a little too exciting. But, as anyone can tell you, an administrative job was so _boring_

She had already dusted the whole office, and straightened every piece of paper she could find, and re-organized the entire contents of the tiny kitchen. It had gotten to the point where she might actually answer every call today, if there were any. She looked at the phone hopefully, but it wasn't very helpful.

So Mai lifted her hands in the air and folded them. She stuck up her index fingers and watched them start moving toward each other with wide eyes. She started to make up a little story about a girl who really wanted to sing but was really bad, so bad that people would stick their fingers in her ears so they didn't have to listen. When she died, her ghost became manic and split itself into millions of little ghosts so she could glue everyone's fingers together and sing to her heart's content.

Mai was really, really bored!

She was putting her hands upside-down to see if the same thing happened upside-down (it did) when the door to Naru's office opened. It took a moment for her to realize he was staring at her. She shoved her hands into her lap, turning red.

"…Tea."

"Please?" she suggested hopefully. All she got in return was a blank stare, and he disappeared back into his office.

"Y'know, it wouldn't kill you to turn on a light in there," she muttered, opening the wrong cabinet. That new organization system was a bad idea. "And there are other colors in the world besides black. But, I agree, it matches that black little heart …"

"Which really is the most important thing," someone finished. Mai jumped a few feet in the air before she realized it was just Bou-san. She double-checked the office to make sure both Naru and Lin were still carefully closeted away.

"You are so lucky there was no water in this cup!" Mai said sternly, biting her cheek to keep from giggling.

"Why? You'd never throw boiling water in my face, right, Mai-chan?" he said, pouting and making a wide-eyed, innocent face.

"Of course I would. But that's not the point. I would have lost my temper and thrown it all over you on purpose, because I would have been late in the delivery and Naru would have wanted to know what was taking me so long. He calls me in this really annoying way, like --"

_Mai_

"That," she sighed. "Coming!" Bou-san followed her, snickering.

_This_ is what you do all day?"

"Basically. Sometimes it's worse. Can you get the door for me?"

Mai was only allowed in Naru's office during tea delivery time. Frankly, that was the only time she _wanted_ in there. It was very dark; the only light came from a half-covered window and a small, yellowish lamp. Occasionally the computer gave off light, but it was almost never used.

Usually Mai just set the tray down and got out. Usually Bou-san wasn't with her.

"Hey, Naru-bou. Whoa! Would it kill you to turn on a light in here or what?"

"I'm busy," Naru said shortly, making another mark on his beloved clipboard. "What do you want?"

"Turn the light on and I'll tell you."

Naru looked up to glare and Mai silently applauded Bou-san's courage. There was a brief showdown, but eventually Naru felt the need to get back to work. With a sigh, he reached over and turned the lamp up one degree.

"What?"

"Well … remember how I told you being a monk was really more of a side job?"

"Oh yeah, the cowboy suit," Mai snickered.

"IT WAS NOT A COWBOY SUIT!!"

"Sure, Bou-san, sure." Naru gave Mai that "look" we all know and love and she quieted down.

"Well, I --"

At that moment, the door of the main office burst open. Madoka's sunny smile lit up the office.

"Hello, everyone!" she sang. Ayako, Yasuhara, John, and Masako followed, slightly less exuberant. Lin, startled by the noise penetrating his computer lair of solitude, came into the main office.

"Oh no," Naru muttered -- Mai might even say groaned. The cause soon became apparent, as Madoka looked around and caught sight of Naru's business lair of death. Her happy face turned angry so fast it was comical.

"For the last time, it wouldn't kill you to turn a light on!"

Mai and Monk-san snickered, and found that Madoka was a lot braver than they were. She actually stormed into the cavern like a fairy of happiness, flicked the light switch and pulled up the blinds on the window. Mai marveled that Naru didn't burn up, like a vampire.

"Mai-chan, Monk-san, it's a pleasure to see you," she said with a sunny smile. She was standing behind Naru, who looked ready to kill himself -- or, more likely, everyone nearby. "What were you talking of before we so rudely interrupted?"

"I suppose it's better if I got it all over with now. Ah … I kind of have a whole bunch of extra tickets to this concert tomorrow night, and no other friends to give them too."

Mai's face lit up in a smile and she almost hit her head on the ceiling as the rest of the group uttered agreements, with various degrees of enthusiasm. She loved music, and she _never_ got to go to concerts! But then she fell right back down to Earth.

"Ah … what time does that start?"

"Ten."

"And how long does it last?"

"I don't know, two hours maybe?"

… Dammit. "Naru, may I please, please, please be just a little late the day after tomorrow?" Mai asked angelically.

"No."

"Of course."

Predictably, Naru and Madoka disagreed. She turned to him, stern again, hands on her hips. "_Of__course_ Mai can come in late," she corrected. "You won't be here anyway, Mr. I-Hate-Any-Time-of-Day-Close-to-Morning."

"…What?"

"You're going too, of course. We're all going together!" She clapped her hands together in that annoying way happy people tend to do. Mai didn't fail to notice that Lin, who hadn't looked like he was planning to actually _go_ anywhere, perked up considerably.

"All right," Ayako shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do. Who's playing?"

Bou-san was slowly drifting towards the door. "Ah … me."

And he sprinted out before anyone could say anything else


	3. Naru Has Fun

Chapter Two -- Naru … Has … Fun.

YES!! The character from Ghost Hunt that I don't own actually has FUN! MWAHAHA!

Shibuya Kazuya (or whatever the hell you want tot call him) was not particularly happy. It seemed rather stupid, he knew. I mean, really, how many secrets could one guy have? It was a rather superficial secret, all things considering, but he had this awful feeling that it was the one the others would have the most fun with.

Naru liked music. A lot.

He knew what _a capella _meant, he knew how to tell if a voice or instrument was in tune, sharp, or flat, and he knew which composers had been drunk or on drugs while writing their music (more than you would think). Most of the time he was wearing headphones in his office, trying very hard to sing too softly for Mai to hear. In fact, he only took them off when he called for her. Naru had even been planning on buying to this concert, before he found out that Bou-san was playing. If the rest of the SPR group found out he was actually having a good time, they would never let him live it down.

_Flashback!! To: Arrival_

Naru stepped out of the back of the van with a sigh. For the millionth time, he wished he hadn't almost run Lin over the last time he tried to drive himself. What was the _point_ of buying a 50,000 Mercedes if his assistant made him ride around in that stupid van all the time?

Anyway, everyone else was already there when the Incredibly Slow Driver finally reached the concert. Naru wasn't quite the kind of person to pay attention to everybody's clothes, but he _did_ notice that Masako was not wearing anything resembling a kimono. She had been wearing Western-style clothes during the last case, but not like this. Oh no, this was more like see-what-you're-missing? clothes. Naru didn't approve; he had this very uncomfortable feeling he was supposed to be missing something.

"Nice to see you got all dressed up," Mai snickered. Naru spared a glance down -- black shirt, black jacket, black pants. Would Mai ever get tired of complaining?

"What for?"

"Oh nothing, nothing," Ayako assured him. _She_ had gotten dressed up, even he could see that. He wondered if she though the monk would be able to pick her out of the crowd.

All right, on the subject of clothes … Mai looked nice too.

_Fast-forward!! To: Now_

There was no way Naru would ever dance here, or do that stupid waving thing everyone else was doing. Lin had somewhat reluctantly been pulled into a bunny-hop type thing by Madoka, which actually looked very funny. That left only Masako standing next to Naru, trying to spark up a conversation (he thought).

Mai and Madoka had already tried to coerce him into moving, several times. Even Madoka had failed miserably. Mai had complained, and threatened not to inform Bou-san the next time they needed him for a case. She said he wasn't being supported. Little did _Mai_ know, however, that his feedback for the monk would be much more useful than any of theirs.

Naru was focusing intently. He was listening to every note carefully, memorizing the good points and the bad. Bou-san would appreciate it.

_Fast-forward!! To: After the Show_

Bou-san was looking suspiciously red when they all forced themselves backstage. At first he pretended not to see them, until one of the other band members helpfully pointed them out. He looked very embarrassed, though he had at least taken Mai's advice to heart. His clothes didn't resemble a cowboy's outfit.

"… Well?"

Mai looked ready to start, but she looked at Naru first. "Let's get it over with."

Naru gave her a moment's glare, but started with no hint of a sigh. "You were right; you're singer's not very good, and the bridge of the second song was a little shaky." Bou-san looked ashamed, like he knew it, but Naru wasn't done yet. "But the chords were very strong the whole way through, and the coda was well done on the last song. Very impressive."

Naru ignored the stunned looks directed at him from the rest of the group. He stood back and waited for the rest of them to get on with it.

"Ah … thanks," Bou-san said.

_Insight to Bou-san's mind:_

What …?

_Sorry, guys, this chapter really sucks, I know that. I couldn't think of any way to get rid of the concert! I swear, I know exactly what I'm doing for the next few. They'll be a lot better._


	4. Uh, Who's That Guy?

Chapter Three: Uh … Who's That Guy With Mai?

DAMMIT!! Sorry, but some lawyers just informed me I don't own Ghost Hunt. Damn lawyers!

Naru walked into the main office to find a crowd of people around his window, which was the last thing he liked to find.

"Do you think that's really what he's saying?" Ayako asked.

"Shh," Bou-san hissed. Ayako smacked him upside the head.

"Why are you shushing me, we can't hear anything anyway!"

Naru cleared his throat. Yasuhara, John, Masako, and even _Lin_ jumped away guiltily, but Bou-san and Ayako didn't move a muscle. Naru could sort of understand the others … but _Lin_?

"What, may I ask, is so interesting?"

"Come look," Ayako said impatiently. "And don't yell at Mai."

Wondering why he would yell at Mai, Naru went over. He leaned over curiously and saw Mai talking to some boy. Or … was that Mai _flirting_? If it was, she was much better at it than Ayako or Masako. She seemed reserved, unlike the former, but not so much as every word seemed special, like the latter.

Then again, _they_ weren't supposed to be working when they were flirting.

"So?"

"You _don't_ have a heart, do you?" Ayako asked impatiently. "He was delivering that package over there, and forgot something, so I made Mai go give it back --"

"Why couldn't you?" Naru interrupted. She rolled her eyes.

"Where's the fun in that? Yes!"

"What happened?" Masako asked, learning forward again.

"Look!"

Masako seemed very interested in the outcome of Mai's flirtation. He wondered why.

Naru directed his gaze back to the window. Mai was nodding, smiling so wide her head might be torn in half. He backed away, mouth tight with disapproval. Mai was not paid to get dates from delivery boys.

"Don't be too hard on her," Ayako said, finally looking away from the window to smirk at him. "I know it's hard for you to understand, but some girls _do_ get tired at staring at pretty faces every day. Smiling helps."

Naru wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, so he just gave one cold look. He retreated back to his office and sighed, slipping on a pair of headphones. Why did Mai have to have a social life? He needed her _here_. He needed his tea.

_Fast-forward!! To: Mai's Date_

Mai tried very hard not to fidget. The movie was easy, but dinner was always weird for her. She didn't go on many dates. She barely went to _school_, for God's sake. It seemed like her whole world had shrunk to the span of the SPR office, which didn't offer up very good topics for conversation. Luckily Takizawa-san didn't mind talking, because she couldn't think of anything yet. But of course that had to end.

"You have to talk or I'm going to start to feel weird," he laughed. "What if I ask questions?"

"Yeah, questions might work," Mai grinned. "Try me."

"All right … Oh, I've got an idea. The other night I had this dream that I was swimming and I couldn't get out, so these fish people let me be their son. It was really weird … so what's the weirdest dream you've ever had?"

_Author interruption: Wrong question!_

"_That_ is a hard question; I have a lot of weird dreams," Mai laughed nervously, scratching at a sudden itch on the back of her neck.

"Well, choose one."

_Easy for you to say_, she groaned inwardly. _Which one? The time when my boss became a fisherman and killed someone for me? Or the time I passed through walls to give a key to someone I hate? Or, of course, the time I got to watch spirits eat each other?_

"Oh, all right. There was this one time I had a dream that these two guys dragged me through a haunted house and held this huge knife to my throat for no reason. Being murdered is _awful_."

The smile on his face looked a little forced, so Mai continued, trying to undo some damage.

"I guess that wasn't the weird part, though. I was in the middle of work, and when I woke up everyone was there, including my boss, and he was actually in pajamas, which was weird 'cause he usually looks like death, and …"

Mai wanted to stop talking as the odd look in her date's eyes increased with every word.

Dammit. She should have gone with the fisherman.

Next chapter: We get to see the result of Mai's date. My best chapter yet!


	5. Bad Date, Bad Ending

Chapter Four (or five?): A Bad End to a Bad Date

**Look, if I owned Ghost Hunt, Masako wouldn't exist and John wouldn't be a priest, because it really seems like he and Yasuhara would make a great gay couple. So I don't own it. (But seriously, they would!)**

--

Naru was walking down the street late at night, because he's a vampire. Okay, not really. But he did like nighttime. There were more ghosts out.

Whoa, getting off-topic.

It wasn't that late really, only around ten. He had gone to a lecture at seven-thirty that lasted for an hour and a half, and he only heard ten minutes' worth of words. It didn't matter; it turns out he knew everything that was discussed. No, the annoying part was the source of his distraction.

_"I know it's hard for you to understand, but some girls do get tired of staring at pretty faces every day. Smiling helps."_

What had Ayako meant? She -- she didn't think he was jealous … did she? Of course he wasn't! That was ridiculous. Mai was his employee, he was her boss. He had no right to be jealous. Granted, it annoyed him that she seemed perfectly content to be so damn cheerful and make every male within a fifty-foot radius fall in love with her … But that wasn't jealousy. Bou-san didn't like it either. Even Naru, with his limited social awareness, could see that it bothered him to no end, and only an idiot would assume that the monk was interested in Mai.

Or … had Ayako been giving him a hint? Staring at pretty faces … did that mean _Mai_ …?

Naru shoved his hands into his pockets and stood straighter. For nearly the hundredth time that night, he banished the thoughts from his head. It was ridiculous. Mai thought he was a stubborn, narcissistic jerk. He thought she was hopelessly naïve. End of story.

He didn't even see Mai until he had nearly passed her. When he caught site of a familiar ugly brown jacket, however, he stopped dead.

"Mai?"

She didn't hear him. Almost despite himself, Naru felt a sudden compassionate urge well up. She was disappointed. He could see it in the slump of her shoulders, the quizzical look in her eyes, even the thoughtful tilt of her head, resting in her hands. It was very odd, seeing Mai upset. Angry, no problem. Indignant, fine. But sad?

He thought about leaving -- it would probably be the safest option. Then Mai gave the smallest of sighs, and Naru's feet started to move.

"Mai?"

She started and looked up. A red blush spread across her cheekbones. "Naru! Um … hi."

"Hello. Is something wrong?" There was a good amount of surprise in her eyes. Did she really think he was that indifferent?

"No, not really." She seemed to think about it for a moment though, and let out a heavy breath. It wasn't quite a sigh. "I'm a freak. No--you're a freak. Ah, hell, we're all freaks."

Naru was lost. "…What?"

"You, and me, and Bou-san and Ayako and John and Masako and Yasuhara and probably Lin too, for all I know."

Naru had no idea what to say to that, so he sat on the bench and waited for her to explain. A moment of silence--companionable, maybe?--passed before she resumed her former position, head in her hands.

"I couldn't think of anything to talk about that didn't tie back to ghosts," she admitted. Ah, so Ayako was right. She had been on a date tonight, one that apparently had not ended well. Naru told himself he didn't care.

"So?"

She looked at him, incredulous. "Do you talk to people? At all?"

"Why is that a problem? It's something to talk about, isn't it? Something interesting, too. It's probably one of the only things that you can teach the average person about without boring them to death."

Mai gave him a weird look. "You know you just implied that I'm smart about something, right?"

Naru shrugged. "Well, compared to any person you find on the street, you are. How many people really know how to defend themselves against an aggressive spirit? You could have taught that boy how to save his life tonight, if you wanted to."

Mai laughed shortly, and Naru knew why; the chances of that actually happening were very unlikely.

"Well, it's too embarrassing for _me_ to talk about, anyway."

**NOTE: The author now interrupts this story to bring you to another scene, very close by, which is just as interesting, about another couple on something much more like a date.**

Unbeknownst to Mai and Naru, a waiter had sat Bou-san and Ayako at a table conveniently close. It was behind this nice bush with wide spaces between the leaves, wide enough to see--and hear--without being seen themselves. They were still a good fifteen feet away, but they were downwind.

All right, they hadn't exactly told the rest of the team that they were dating. That would just be an awkward conversation. They left plenty of clues, if anyone bothered to find them. Luckily, neither of them minded if a date turned into a spying-on-Naru date. In fact, spying on Naru was the only thing more fun than spying on Mai. Spying on both was _awesome_.

"Did you hear that last thing Mai said?" Bou-san muttered, stretching so he could lean back and get a better view.

"No, that lady over there has a laugh like a donkey, I couldn't hear a thing. Wait, wait, Naru's replying."

"…would you care? As far as I know, _I'm_ the only problem you have with your job."

Bou-san snickered and Ayako took another sip of wine with a wry grin. "He's got that right, at least."

"Aren't you supposed to fix work-related problems with your employees?" Mai joked. She was perking up.

"No, that's what happened to my last assistant, and I don't feel like firing you."

"Did you see that?" Ayako whispered excitedly.

"I _think_ so … Wow, he's really smiling!"

"Why not?" Mai asked, a smile flickering into place.

"Lin can't make tea."

"Yeah." Mai stretched, yawning. "'Cause that's really all I'm good for, right?"

"Mostly."

Oh yes, that was definitely a smile. Ayako and Bou-san both leaned forward almost unconsciously. Was this it?

Still completely unaware of their audience, Mai and Naru were looking at each other with little tiny smiles on their faces. Naru was only facing her at an angle, but it was a start, right?

"Thanks," Mai said quietly.

"You're welcome."

There was a moment of silence. The sexual tension was so thick it couldn't even be cut with a really, really sharp knife. Four heartbeats doubled, and then Naru looked away.

"You should go home; it's getting late."

"Come on, offer to walk her or something," Bou-san muttered.

He and Ayako had conveniently forgotten that, the day before, they had been rooting for Mai to succeed with someone else. _That_ was just some delivery guy. _This_ was Naru, and how cool was that? But, damn him, he had to be Naru.

"Oh yeah, I guess," Mai said, sounding disappointed.

"Anyway, I've already let you come in late once. We can't let that become a habit." He continued, much to Ayako's horror. "It would be unprofessional."

"Of course. Bye, Naru."

Mai stood and walked away, the smile gone from her sad little face. Naru watched her go, thinking. There was a slight crash nearby that sounded like someone knocking over a glass, but he didn't hear it, or the small commotion that followed. It went something like this:

"YOU _IDIOT_!"

"Houshou!"

"Oops …"

--

**I swear, I'm not the type of person to toot my own horn, but I LOVE that ending! Oh, and I put in that bit about Naru's last assistant because I've always wondered how he had an "opening" for Mai. It's too optimistic to say he just wanted her to work for him cause he missed her.**


	6. Happy Birthday! Don't Kill Me

Chapter Six: Happy Birthday! Don't Kill Me

Mai had already gone home, and Lin was just shutting down his laptop(s) and turning off the TV(s). He was lingering just a little bit, even though he knew he shouldn't be. There were two outs left, and he really wanted to see his team win. Not for the first time, he shuddered at the thought of Naru finding out what he did all day.

Lin called out a short farewell, which was barely answered, and walked out the door. Naru was trying to keep from bolting out of the office himself, so he merely pulled out another file and updated more useless information. He was not leaving for one more hour, he told himself firmly. One more hour.

The phone rang, and Naru felt guilty. A distraction right when he was asking for a distraction? That was just too good.

"Naru!" Mai's distressed voice came out before he had a chance to say anything.

"What is it, Mai?" he said, exasperated.

"Has Lin left yet?"

Naru looked out the window just in time to see the van driving down the street--rather faster than usual, too.

"Yes. Why?"

"Crap! Naru, I left my mathematics book on my desk and I really, really need it or I'm going to fail."

"So come pick it up," he snapped, rolling his eyes.

"I can't! I have to leave my place now and I won't be back for another hour. Please, please, please, please, please, ple--"

She went on. Naru closed his eyes briefly, and then looked with distaste at the piles of paper on his desk. Well …

"Fine," he sighed. "But don't expect this to become a regular thing, Mai. If you need something, bring it home. I don't want to have to --"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Thanks!"

Naru couldn't help but smile--just a little bit. Well, it was a twenty minute walk to get to Mai's apartment and back, which was a good amount of time. He couldn't just leave the office unattended, could he? And it took a while to lock and unlock it and all, so … why not just leave for the day?

The walk to Mai's place was predictably boring. It was an ordinary building, with a neat number on her door. Naru found it unlocked, and went in with the book. There was one light on in the kitchen. Somehow, on the way to the kitchen table, he got lost. The door shut. People came out. There was more light. And there seemed to be a lot of people saying "Happy birthday"…

He was going to kill Lin, but before he could move, Mai and Ayako had pulled him into the living room and shoved him down on the couch. There were balloons, streamers, the whole bit. Bou-san even had one of those stupid pointy hats on.

"Oh, and thanks for bringing my book," Mai said cheerfully. "I really needed it, and it made an excellent excuse."

"You're welcome," Naru said shortly, his tone indicating just how much he meant it. For the first time, he noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Masako?"

Mai suddenly became fidgety. "Busy."

"Lucky her," he muttered.

"Stop being a party pooper," Mai commanded.

"Yeah, you should be thanking us!" Ayako said, indignant. "We're giving up our valuable time--"

"So you could have fun at my expense," Naru finished.

"Come on, Naru-bou, lighten up," Bou-san yawned. "Look how eager Mai is. Can't you just pretend you like us?"

"It'll be good for you," Yasuhara said with an evilly innocent smile. "Look, we've got Charades."

Naru paused. Damn that Lin. Naru had loved Charades as a kid -- how had he remembered? And _why_ had he told everyone else? Naru sighed, and turned to the back-stabbing bastard.

_"I am going to murder you,"_ he said in careful, halting Chinese.

_"I know."_

--

Mai was up first, seeing as she had been the one to come up with the category: members of SPR, and anyone met on the cases, living or otherwise. Mai had thought it was a great idea, until it was her turn to act it out.

"Come on, Mai, you've got to do something," Bou-san said, bored.

"Hold on, I'm thinking. I usually suck at this game."

She thought for a moment, and then seemed satisfied. First she held up her folded hands, index fingers together, like every exorcist in Japan. She held that pose for a second, before breaking out in a dramatic air guitar routine. Somehow, between peals of laughter, Ayako managed to choke out Bou-san's name. The man in question turned very red.

"Shut up. Whose turn?"

"Shibuya-san's, of course," Yasuhara said. Mai snorted. She had barely believed Lin when he said Naru liked the guessing. There was no chance she could picture him participating. Naru had not been planning to do anything of the sort, until he heard Mai. His eyes narrowed, and there was a gleam of challenge on his face.

"Give me that." He stuck his hand in the basket full of little papers and pulled one out, to Mai's evident surprise and delight. The single word on the paper read Mai, and Naru felt himself smile. This was going to be very fun.

He didn't even move. He let his hand fall back and closed his eyes. "Uh … Naru?"

Ayako poked him, and Naru let out a surprisingly realistic snore. Lin and Bou-san snickered, and then Mai got it.

"HEY!!"

--

About two hours later, the party was over. Stuffed full of cake--Mai was a very good cook--and soda, they rolled out of the building. Naru lingered just a little bit longer outside the building, thoughtful. He had actually enjoyed himself much more than he ever would expected. He had never considered this odd collection of colleagues as his friends before.

Maybe that would have to change.

--

_After Naru leaves._

"Mai?"

"Hn?"

Ayako had a knowing light in her eyes. "What was Masako busy with, exactly?"

"She didn't say."

"It's odd, you'd think she would cancel for such a nice little gathering." Mai was aloof, picking up leftover plates and things like that. "What did you tell her we were doing?"

"I just said we were getting together today."

"You didn't mention it was Naru's birthday?"

"She didn't ask."

"Of course she didn't."

--

**Okay, I owe an apology to TheCrazyScotswomanOfD00M, who has been my editor for the whole thing so far, even though I haven't given her credit. Though I have come to hate her editing red pen of doom, she's made a lot of corrections for the better … and I mean A LOT. Thanks to her, these chapters are remarkably free of typos. (I think)**

**So, to say thanks, I have included this special deleted scene from Naru's birthday, featuring ……(drum roll)…… Riza! Yay!**

--

Mai suddenly became fidgety. "Busy."

"Lucky her," he muttered

"Hey! That's not very nice." An average-sized girl with cropped, spiky black hair popped out from behind the couch. She was wearing all black, with skulls covering her clothes. "We went through all this trouble. Look how much tea I made! And I brought sporks! APPRECIATE THE DRINKS AND SPORKS, YOU TEA-LOVING FREAK!"

Everyone looked at her warily as she shoved a spork in Naru's face.

"Who are you? And what's a spork?"

"WHAT'S A SPORK??" the girl shreiked, indignant.

"You know, we really don't know her. She says her name's Riza and she kind of followed me home one day," Mai said. "Sporks are those spoons with poky things like forks that she keeps waving around. Look, I'm sorry, but this is kind of just for our little group here. Do you mind leaving?"

Riza eyed her warily. "Can I have the cake?"

"One piece."

"TWO."

"Okay, okay!"

Riza cut up two huge pieces of cake, grabbed the package of sporks, and ran out of the room, laughing maniacally. They all stared after her.

"…That was weird." Yasuhara said, pointing out the obvious.

"Yeah…" John agreed.

"Why does everyone get to leave except me?" Naru complained. He glanced at the door again. Lin--that damn traitor--had just locked it, but he was seriously considering breaking the door down anyway.


	7. Troubly, Thy Name is Naru

Chapter Seven: Trouble, Thy Name is Naru

**-- See Author's note at bottom of page**

**Good news! My story has actually developed a plot! Yay for me.**

* * *

A few nights later, Mai was staying late at the office. Lin had already left, and Naru had been closeted in his office all day. If Mai had her way, she would have been long gone, but she had kind of forgotten to do some filing. She had been doing homework all day instead. Well, sort of homework. Okay, it wasn't homework, but it was work-related … ish. Sort of. A little.

More on that later.

Any way, she was hoping to file everything away before Naru found out and fired her, so Naru was surprised to find her still working when he went into the main office. Mai was muttering to herself, and she didn't seem to realize him, or the time. He grimaced to himself; if he had known she was still here, he could have had more tea. Then again, he probably should have noticed the absence of her usual cheery goodbye.

"Mai?"

She jumped and squeaked, turning red. "Oh, sorry, I … I forgot to finish filing these, I wanted to finish."

"Good. Leave now."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," she muttered. Mai sealed her lips shut after that; Naru had this annoying little habit of hearing her.

She shoved the remaining papers in the desk, feeling very awkward. "Bye, Naru," she said as she brushed past him.

He gave a curt nod. "Oh, and Mai, I need you to come in a little early this Monday, around eight."

Mai paused, one foot out the door. She turned. "Monday's the twenty-second."

"So?"

"It's Higan."

Naru only gave her a blank look. "And …?"

"You're kidding, right? I usually visit my parents' graves around then."

Naru didn't seem to notice how Mai's voice got quieter. She had wondered why Naru was the only one who never said anything when she revealed that she was an orphan. Had he guessed? Or did he just not care?

"Lin and I need to look up something that will take a while, and I need someone to watch the phones; we're expecting a client to call to set up an appointment."

"Can't you find someone else?" Mai asked. He hadn't looked at her yet.

"They're all busy."

"But it doesn't matter if I'm busy or not?" she asked angrily. Naru looked down his nose at her, a glimmer of irritation in his eyes.

"_You_ are my employee."

"_I_ did not agree to throw away my family traditions to suit your every whim," she shot back, her voice rising slightly in volume. "I'm not coming in."

"Fine," Naru said, standing aside.

Mai was just a little bit surprised; had she actually just won the fight? That easily? Cool. She just managed to keep the satisfied smirk off her face. "Fine," she echoed She turned and started to walk out, feeling a little smug.

"I hope you don't expect to be paid next week."

"_What_?"

"If you decide to dodge your responsibilities, then you will be compensated accordingly," Naru said calmly, very matter-of-fact. He was being careful. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Yes! That's not fair!"

"Then consider yourself unemployed. You're paid to work, and even someone as stupid as you seem to be should realize that."

"_I'm_ stupid!" Mai shrieked. "You -- you _idiot_ _scientist_!"

Naru's eyes widened, and his whole body seemed to tense. He took one threatening step forward, his face twisted in anger. "Where--_where did you hear that_?"

"Gene told me," she said, her teeth clenched together. "Only I don't think he had it quite right, because you are _so_ much more than that. I don't even think you two are related! It's impossible for someone sweet and caring can be connected to someone like _you_ in any way!" Angry tears pricked at her eyes, and she blinked them back furiously. She wouldn't let him see her cry. Not this time.

"Don't you? Fine, then! Take the day off. Take the whole damn week off!" he yelled.

Mai's fists tightened at her sides. "You don't care about anyone but yourself, do you?" she yelled right back. "What if this is important? What if I've been doing this for years? What if this is the _one_ thing all year I have to ask for?"

"Then you chose the wrong day," Naru said coldly, regaining his composure. "And seeing as the dead have no use for flowers or whatever, I don't see any problem with you coming in early on Monday morning."

There was a stinging sensation in Mai's eyes, and she could not stop the hot tears that slipped down her face. The trail they left was remarkably cold.

"That's what you really think?"

"Yes, of course it is."

Mai had no idea what she was doing until her hand came in sudden, sharp contact with his face. It was one thing to insult her personally, but this was too much. She couldn't take it. No one could stand so much hate for one person, and Mai felt every drop of love leave her to fuel the hate. Still crying, she turned and left.

Naru only stood there, stunned. His face stung, but he hardly noticed. There was this awful feeling lurking in the back of his mind. For some reason, he didn't think Mai would be at work tomorrow.

Or the next day.  
Or this week.  
Or … ever again.

**Author's Note: Just a bit of background information. The Autumnal Equinox, called the Higan-e or simply Higan in Japan, is celebrated for three days before and after the equinox, which is usually around the twenty-third of September. It is a time to "reflect on past sins and the meaning of life," and most people take the time to visit family graves and pay respects to their ancestors. Obviously, Mai would take this holiday very seriously.**


	8. Separate Lives

Chapter Eight: Separate Lives

The next day…

Because God is ironic, Mai was up early the next morning. At first, she was happy--she was early enough to make it to work without being late. Then the memories came crashing down, and she laid down again. She folded her arms and propped herself up, staring at her pillow.

"Not going back," she said out loud, stubbornly. "Not until he apologizes."

_He's not going to apologize_, her brain said.

"Shut up, brain! He might," her heart protested.

_He won't_.

"He might, we never know. Maybe he's gotten used to me being around."

_That doesn't mean he'll actually lower himself to apologize. He's not like that. We _do_ know that._

"People change," Mai's Heart protested feebly. It knew it was losing. Mai's Brain did occasionally know what it was talking about.

_Not Naru._

"Yeah, okay," she sighed, admitting defeat. She lay her head down and started to fall back asleep. Mai was a second from sleep; she was pretty sure her brain was already out.

"He might."

_He won't._

Dammit.

* * *

Naru was not having a good day. It was ten thirty. His tea had sucked, the office had been unnaturally quiet, and Lin, of all people, had been late. Lin wasn't supposed to be late. _Mai_ was supposed to be late. Well, she was … but this didn't count.

"I'm sorry, Naru, I'm late--"

"I noticed," he said shortly.

"Where's Mai?"

"Not here."

Naru heard Lin sigh.

"Do you know _where_?"

Naru paused. "Home, probably."

There was a moment of silence, and then Lin opened the door and poked his head into Naru's office. Naru raised an impatient eyebrow, questioning. "What?"

"Are you all right?"

"Fine."

"You don't sound it."

Naru restrained himself; he only glared at Lin a _little_ bit. He turned on his music, picked up a pen, and pulled some random file to him. He didn't care. Mai was his assistant. It was perfectly within her rights to quit. His last assistant had, too. He and Lin could manage. Of course, it was a little inconvenient, but oh well. Life had its setbacks. He had been fine before Mai. He could lead his own life without her at all. Tough luck.

"Naru?"

"She quit."

"Why?" Lin asked, surprised. Naru was silent. Lin sighed. "You're an idiot."


	9. A Secret is Exposed

Chapter 9: A Secret is Exposed

Naru was a trifle late to work on Monday, even though he cancelled that appointment. He had overslept. It wasn't _that_ late, really, only about ten minutes. He wasn't even expecting Lin for another forty minutes or so. So it came as a great surprise, therefore, when the light was already on.

Ayako was sitting on the grey couch with her legs crossed, staring into space. She glanced at Naru once, but the look was almost a glare. She turned back to the wall almost immediately. Curious, Naru sat across from her.

"Ayako?"

She turned to him frigidly. "Yes?"

"Is there a reason you're here, and so early?"

She tossed her head with a small noise of disbelief. For half a second she considered something, and then seemed to throw caution to the wind.

"Yes. What the hell is wrong with you?" Naru waited for her to elaborate, one eyebrow raised in careful surprise, but she really seemed to be waiting for an answer.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't give me that bullshit, even you aren't that dense. _Why_ did you say those things to Mai? Why would you even think--if you could see her face after that, especially about her _family_." There was a hard glint in Ayako's eyes that kept Naru from fighting back. There was also a squirming emotion buried in his thoughts that was achingly akin to guilt.

"She has been doing this for years, and planning for weeks. She even tried to help --" She bit her lip, and started again. "We are the only family she has now, and you are part of that whether you care or not! _All_ you had to do was give her one damn holiday off, and instead you probably just brought back every painful memory that girl has _ever_ had. Can you imagine what that must _feel_ like?"

Ayako was close to yelling now, her hands balled into fists. Naru felt an argument bubbling up in his throat. He took one breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He snatched at the threads of his self-control.

"I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I just meant to point out that there was no-- it was just a bit of logic. Nothing insulting."

"Oh, logic, of course," she muttered. "Have you ever stopped to consider that cold logic is _not_ the way to talk to someone like Mai? You are so lucky and you don't even realize it. She's almost died who-knows-how-many times, and you never tell her anything no matter how much she may need to know it, and if you're not ignoring her or insulting her you're ordering her around without the slightest hint of civility!" she exploded.

"If Mai felt that way, then she would've quit a long time ago. It's not my fault if she misinterprets one thing I say."

The look Ayako gave him could have boiled lead, but she was much more composed that she was when she argued with Bou-san. Maybe because she was fighting for someone else?

"She doesn't care a bit about logic, and she does feel that way, you heartless sonofabitch. You … you haven't even seen what's keeping her here, have you?"

Ayako seemed to be considering something from a whole new angle. She calmed down a little, and the anger on her face changed to wariness.

"What _is_?"

"Oh my god." Ayako fell back against the couch. She looked exasperated.

"What?"

Ayako sighed and leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees.

"Naru," she said slowly. "Mai has been in love with you ever since the first case she worked on, and everyone else has seen it, and you have treated her like shit."

--

The next day, Naru suddenly found himself in a cemetery. It was a whim, really; he had seen a family with two boys walking in that direction. Before he knew it, he was walking through the tombstones. He went past dozens and paid them little attention, until one caught his eye. The name was Taniyama.

Naru stopped.

There were several of them in a plot, most with a date of death before Mai was even born. On each grave was a flower, a pink carnation. Two had little bouquets instead, four flowers tied with pink and white ribbon. Naru tried to count the tombstones, but after a moment he stopped. He forced himself to walk away, brushing his hand across the two with bouquets. They were the newest.

His destination was a small tombstone in a corner of the cemetery. It wasn't a grave, only the marker. No one visited it, except for him, and even he wasn't here that often. It was small and symbolic, with only four English words on it.

_Eugene Davis.  
__Beloved Brother._

As Naru approached the tombstone, he sped up, and then stopped suddenly, staggered. It was covered in flowers.

There were lilies of the valley, irises, sunflowers, daffodils, orchids, and fuchsias, all in a circle around it. And there, at the foot of the tombstone, was a small bouquet of carnations, only this one was different. Slipped in amongst the pink flowers was one perfect narcissus.

Without really knowing what he was doing, Oliver Davis stepped forward and picked up the carnations, breathing in the sweet, fresh scent.

What had he done?

* * *

**Oh shit, Naru's in **_**trouble**_** …**

**Okay, after I wrote this chapter, I listened to two songs that would be perfect for how Naru and Mai feel after this, one by pre-**_**Girlfriend**_** Avril Lavigne and another by Bullet for my Valentine. ****I'm getting mixed signals so I don't know if people are violently against songfics being posted on , but the next two chapters are going to be songfics anyway. If anyone has a problem, message me and I'll send you a link to another website that has the exact same information. If too many people complain, then I'll take it off, kay?**

**A bientot!**

**Ama.**


	10. Tears Don't Fall

Song: Tears Don't Fall  
Artist: Bullet for my Valentine  
Characters by Fuyumi Ono

* * *

_The moments died, I hear no screaming_

Naru sat at his desk, staring at nothing. The smell still lingered in his senses. He had been wrong, he realized. What had he been thinking? She had wanted to remember her family, for God's sake. That was it. And she had … remembered his too. He squeezed his eyes shut. They say that hindsight is 20-20, and now he realized how cold, how … cruel he must have sounded.  
_  
The visions left inside me are slowly fading_

Closing his eyes had been a bad idea. Her face was there--angry at him, so what else was new? But this was different. She wasn't just frustrated. She was hurt, she was betrayed, she was used up … it was his fault. Naru opened his eyes.

_There's always something different going wrong_

He ran a hand through his hair. He had never realized what he was doing to her. He had never disliked arguing with her, really. It was refreshing, to have someone speak their mind. He had never known how deeply Mai took it.  
_  
The path I walk is in the wrong direction_

He had always made the wrong choice when it came to her. He saw that now. Always, the wrong words, the wrong gestures … and now he was paying the price. Naru rested his head on his hands, his eyes squeezed shut. He couldn't take it any more. He stood and walked out of the office without a word.

_There's always someone f--ing hanging on  
_

He walked around the streets, his mind flickering from one thought to the next. Mai … he wanted her _here_. Was it really that impossible to hope? Was there even a chance that Mai didn't let go that easily? Ayako had said she had already dealt with a lot… Too much?

_Can anybody help me makes things better?  
_

He thought briefly about getting help, but--if Ayako was any example--they all hated them now._ He _hated himself. Mai didn't deserve to have someone hurt her. Why had he never been able to see that?

_Your tears don't fall, they crash around me_

Eventually he went home with weight on his shoulders. Every word he had spoken to her, every wound he had caused came back to him now. He didn't leave his home. He ignored the concerned, questioning glances Lin sent him; he didn't feel like explaining.

_Her conscious calls, too guilty to come home_

He couldn't explain. Even Lin would hate him, if he found out what Naru had said. Mai had that effect on people.

_This battered room I've seen before_

He passed her once in the street, nearly three days later, and his heart nearly stopped. The moment he recognized her face he turned and starting shoving his way through the crowd, trying to reach her.

_The broken bones they heal no more, no more  
_  
She didn't hear him calling her name. Or, at least, she pretended not to. Any pain on her face was hidden behind a hard mask that was so unlike the Mai he knew. Was this the face she saw on him?

_With my last breath I'm choking_

He tried. God knows, he tried, but he didn't know what to do. Air seemed to thicken, and words stuck in his throat. He was constantly thinking of two words, but even they refused to come out_. I'm sorry._

_Will this ever end I'm hoping  
_  
He _needed_ to see her. He had to explain--no, not to explain. He had no explanation to give. All he had was an apology. All he had was the faint, lingering hope that she might hear it.

_My world is over one more time  
_

People always asked what was the worst thing that could happen. Mai could hate him. Mai could think he was an unfeeling monster. Mai could go on, hurt from his words. But he needed to try.

_Would she hear me, if I called her name?  
_

He tried to talk to her, in vain. She never went anyplace he might be. He even waited outside her school once, feeling very much like a stalker. When she appeared, she surrounded herself with friends and moved too quickly through the thick crowd for him to catch her. How could he make her listen?

_Would she hold me, if she knew my shame?_

Feeling sick to his stomach, Naru knocked on her door. He needed to talk to her. He hated himself because she hated him, and he needed to apologize. After that … it was her call. There was a moment of silence, and the door cracked open.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Oooooh... Bad news to you, my loyal readers. My class is going to the capital for a couple of days (ugghhh), so I won't be able to post until Saturday at least, maybe Sunday. I swear, the fact that I posted a cliffhanger right before going away is entirely a coincidence. (shifty eyes)**


	11. Falling to Pieces

Song: Fall to Pieces

Artist: Avril Lavigne

Characters by Fuyumi Ono

--

_I looked away_

She turned from those eyes, those beautiful dark blue eyes. So cold. She had to leave, now, and she wasn't sure if she could come back.

_Then I look back at you_

She couldn't help but try to forgive him. Mai could never make Naru anything different, and she wasn't foolish enough to try. So why couldn't she forget it? It was the unrepentant, uncaring expression on his face, constantly in her mind's eye. It wouldn't let her back down. No, not this time.

_You try to say things that you can't undo_

Her head was ringing with his voice. His cold words repeated themselves, over and over, mocking her. Even in her sleep, she couldn't get away. She wished Gene was there, but she didn't blame him if he felt reluctant to get between her and his brother.

_If I had my way, I'd never get over you_

Mai didn't want to be mad at him. She didn't want to forget him. She wanted him to apologize. She wanted him to admit that, somewhere, he had a warm, beating heart. She knew this was too much to ask.

_Today's the day I pray that we make it through_

But still, Mai refused to give up. She would force him to choose whether or not he wanted to drop the damn walls he insisted on constructing. Somehow, though, she didn't feel that strong while she sat in her bedroom, staring at the wall and struggling not to cry.

_Make it through the fall_

_It's not just this fight, _shethought_._

_Make it through it all_It was the whole way he treated her. She couldn't take it.

_And I don't want to fall to pieces_

She pulled her knees up to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shut herself up. She was dangerously close to crying again.

_I just want to sit and stare at you_

Twice she saw him, and both times she ignored him. The first time was innocent--she passed him in the street. He turned around and tried to follow her. She didn't look back. The next time … He was outside her school. One of her friends pointed him out, and Mai turned away, trying not to run. She was angry. Was he following her?

_I don't want to talk about it_

She wasn't ready. She didn't want to listen to him. What would he say? How many more cruel words could she hear from him?

_I just want to cry in front of you_

He hadn't done anything, she thought angrily as she stormed away from school that day. He had hurt her and watched her cry without doing or saying _anything_. The bastard.

_'Cause I'm in love with you_

But that night, Mai lay awake, unable to push back the inexplicable pleasure that the sight of him had caused.

_When I come undone, you bring me back again_

Many sleepless nights passed that way, as Mai thought over every moment they had ever spent in each other's presence.

_Back under the stars_

Almost despite himself, Naru had shown, occasionally, that he cared.

_Back into your arms_

He had thrown himself into physical danger to help her.

_Want to know who you are_

But not just that; in the manhole, he had also acted nearly friendly to cheer her up…

_Want to know where to start_

And he had calmed her, effortlessly, when she had thought she died…

_I want to know what this means_

Did he really care about her, then? Would she forgive him, even if he did?

_I'm in love with you_

Of course she would, Mai realized with a sigh.

_'Cause I'm in love with you_

She had to.

_I'm in love with you_

"I would forgive you," she whispered into her pillow, settling into bed.

_"I'm in love with you."_

**I'm back! Okay, there's a whole bunch of good news and a whole bunch of bad news. Good news: I'm back, and I did a lot of writing over my "break." The bad news is that most of what I wrote is for another story that won't be posted for at least two more weeks. I am also running out of pre-written chapters, so updates might be a little slow. But they're good!**


	12. Uneasy Truce

Chapter Ten: An Uneasy Truce

**Just FYI, both of the songfics ended on the same night, despite the fact that Naru's started two days later. They lasted about a week.**

Mai was nearly asleep when she heard a quiet but urgent knock her door. She squeezed her eyes tighter for a moment, but then gave in and got out of bed. If it was Ayako, then she deserved to have the door opened at least; the older woman had let Mai cry on her shoulder when she needed to, and put up with her angry moods with surprisingly few irritated remarks. Then again, Mai had no idea why Ayako would be at her apartment so late.

She glanced through the peephole once and stopped breathing. Mai opened the door slowly and just stood there, stunned, without saying anything for a full thirty seconds. Finally, one word choked itself out.

"Naru?"

Author/Naru POV

Naru's face was uncomfortably hot. Was this what Mai always felt when she blushed? Why did his mouth feel so dry?

"I -- I needed to talk to you," he stuttered, barely moving his lips. Mai crossed her arms, inviting him to continue. Damn it, Naru thought. He should have thought this out more. "Can I come in?" he finally asked.

Mai was going to say no; they both knew it. She was going to tell him to say whatever he wanted to say, slam the door in his face, and go back to bed. The anger and hurt still on her face was easy enough to see. But, of course, Mai was curious, so she opened the door just a little wider and walked over to sit in her armchair, not waiting for him to follow.

"Hurry up. I'm tired, I want to go to bed."

Naru felt out of place in Mai's small, cozy apartment. He looked out of place, too; a stiff black figure surrounded by warm colors and plush furniture. He sat on the edge of a couch as Mai watched him, expectant.

"Well? What did you want to say?"

The words "I'm sorry" stuck in his throat now, when he needed them the most. He cleared his throat, but they refused to come out. Naru swallowed once or twice. His mouth was still incredibly dry.

Mai looked at him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to speak.

"Thank you for the flowers," Naru blurted out. It was the first thing that came to his mind. Mai looked confused.

"What?"

"For Gene."

"I didn't think you would see those," she said after a slight pause. "But it wasn't just me. Everyone else contributed a little, too."

"That's what I thought. But I thought it was --" he paused. What was the word he wanted? Touching? Astounding? Saint-like? Wonderful? "--kind of _you_, especially. I didn't expect it."

"I don't see why it matters," Mai said frigidly. "Just a stupid tradition, right?"

"No. Mai, those were stupid things to say to you. It wasn't fair."

"What?" Mai wasn't expecting this. She looked at him warily, possibly wondering if it was, in fact, Naru.

"I forgot to think about how it might mean to you."

That was a stupid mistake--forgetting all the variables. As a scientist, he should have remembered that. But then again, wasn't he just an _idiot_ scientist? That had to be different. The thought made Naru freeze. He barely realized that Mai was still watching him, that his mouth was still open as if he were about to speak. How had he not noticed the similarity between Mai and his brother until she used his words?

"Naru? Are you okay?"

"Fine." He cleared his throat. "I--don't like not working with you, and I should have thought before I spoke. I wish I hadn't said anything."

That was the closest Naru could get to saying he was sorry. He tried, but … no.

Mai seemed to know that. Her head tilted thoughtfully, and a slight smile grew on her face. "Really?"

"Yes."

"I don't want to go back to staying at my teachers' houses," she blurted out. "But I don't know if I want to come back just yet."

Naru sighed. "Of course you're not." Well, sometimes logic might work…. "A raise?" he offered.

She paused. "How much?"

"Ten percent?" He saw Mai couldn't do the math in her head, so he gave her the new sum, trying to hide his smile.

"Maybe."

"More days off?"

"With no insults?"

"Complaints or insults? There's a difference"

"Neither."

"Unless you do something really, really stupid."

"Fine, but not when it comes to personal opinion. Deal?"

"Deal."

"G'night."

That … that was it? It was over? All those meaningless hours spent staring at his bedroom ceiling? All the headaches? All the nausea? Gone? Naru felt light. He felt like skipping in a field of flowers under the sunshine, spinning and skipping to the trilling la-dee-da song of the birds.

Well, not quite. But he was happy.

Thus relieved, Naru stood to leave, and a heavy black book fell off of the arm of the sofa. He bent to pick it up and paused. It wasn't a book--it was a notebook, and it was full of Mai's handwriting. This by itself was nothing unusual; after all, she _was_ in high school … but Naru was a hundred percent sure his name had no place in her notes. Did Mai keep a journal? Come to think of it, he had seen her scribbling in a book like this a couple of times….

Curious, he opened the notebook to the first page, ignoring Mai's question.

_My start with the Shibuya Psychic Research center was not an easy one. We were staying after school to tell ghost stories, when a ghostly voice scared the hell out of us. As it turns out, it was not a ghost. It was a boy none of us knew, Shibuya. This by itself might not have been interesting, but the next day…._

Intrigued, Naru kept turning pages until Mai spluttered a protesting "Hey!" and tried to snatch it from his hands. He sidestepped easily and held out a hand, holding her back by the shoulder. "Give that back!"

"Work-related," he said immediately.

"No it's not!"

"Of course it is; look, it says 'Shibuya Psychic Research' right there."

"Yeah, and it says 'Property of Taniyama Mai' over _there_." Mai waited for one moment--she knew Naru had to pause at the moment she first called him Naru. It was just the perfect timing, and he was almost there.

Naru did pause. He wondered, just briefly, if she still thought he was that bad. He had tried to apologize…

"Ha!"

"Dammit!" Mai was again in possession of her book, and Naru was in possession of a paper cut. He tried to take it back. "Mai!"

"Out!"

* * *

Next morning, Naru found himself watching the clock anxiously. What if she had been asleep when she promised to come back? What if it had been a dream? What if, in the light of day, she was still too angry to forgive him?

_Well_, he thought with a deep breath. _I'll know sooner or later_. Three … two … one.

"Sorry, I'm late!"

"Mai-san!" Lin sounded genuinely delighted, which was a very rare event. He was even _out of his office_. "You're back."

"Yup. Want some tea?"

"Sure, thank you."

"No problem. Tea, Naru?" she called.

"Yes. Please."

There was a loud _thud_. "Mai?" He stood and went out into the main room to find Mai on the floor, eyes closed. "Mai? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she murmured. "But I think I'm a little woozy. I'm hearing things." Lin chuckled, but Naru didn't appreciate the humor. He met Mai's grin with a dry look.

"Mai, tea," he said shortly.

She popped back up, looking relieved. "That's better."

Naru went back into his business lair of death, Lin to his computer lair of solitude, and Mai to her kitchen. Everything was back to normal.

**

* * *

**

Awwww………………………

Sorry guys, I know this one took a while. I'm afraid the next one might take even longer. I'm not certain on what I'm doing, y'know? I'll try to work fast, but I don't want to sacrifice quality.


	13. Damn Naru and His Lectures

Chapter Eleven: Damn Naru and His Lectures

**A week or so later….**

"You are the most idiotic, stubborn, conceited, arrogant, narcissistic, handsome, amazing, WONDERFUL man I have ever had the misfortune to fall in love with!" Mai's hands abruptly slapped over her mouth, as if that would erase the words that had just come out.

Oh, God. She had not just said that … had she?

_Shit._Now, you are all probably wondering how this happened. Of course, you are probably all more interested in what happens next, but too bad. You see, it all started one rainy day, right after a case…

* * *

_Flashback!! To: The Beginning_

"Ayako, have you looked at this?" Mai snickered. "This woman's husband didn't believe that he was a ghost, so when she started dating again he tried to file for divorce."

"Really?"

Ayako picked up one of the books on display, laughing. Yasuhara was the only other member of the team who was paying any attention to the book tables; Masako was in reserved conversation with another medium and the rest of the men--being men--were instantly attracted to the cameras and computers and other fancy gizmos.

You see, there are such wonderful things as ghost hunting _conventions_, and they were at one. Yay! Fun, fun, fun.

Not that Naru cared if they were fun or not. He was here for two reasons. 1) Madoka had showed up and forced him. If he resisted, or refused to take the rest of them as well, she would personally escort him.

2) It was more work. Whoop-de-do.

There was a surprising amount of people there, too, considering you had to pay to get in unless you were qualified. As psychics, exorcists, and paranormal investigators, they were qualified. (Except for Yasuhara, who was only semi-qualified … but no one minded lying about his state of employment. Close enough, right?)

The convention was being held in a huge ballroom in a hotel, which made Ayako very, very happy. Last case, they had all been stuffed into this cheap little motel with bad heating and ugly green walls. Thanks to another ghost-hunting discount, this time they only needed to go two to a room. Mai had practically had a heart attack when she found out that Ayako and Bou-san were sharing a room…. Since when had they been dating?? Of course everyone else had already guessed. Of _course_.

Anyway, Naru was trying as hard as possible to make this a busy work trip. Mai was required to attend three different lectures the first day alone, and take notes. He claimed that if they encountered anything during a case that had been covered in a lecture, no one was going to save her if she couldn't help herself. He was probably bluffing, but Mai wasn't willing to take the risk.

"Er… Mai?" Mai tore herself from a particularly interesting book she was going to buy at Takigawa's voice.

"Yeah?"

"That lecture kind of started ten minutes ago. Weren't you supposed to--?"

He was knocked over as Mai gasped, horrified, and sprinted out of the room. Conference room four … conference room five … six … why were there so many damn conference rooms?

When she finally found conference room eight (predictably, it was the farthest one from the rest of the convention), she was out of breath and very late. Mai prayed that Naru and Lin had sat in the back, so she could slip in unobtrusively and maybe no one would notice … but, as we all know, life is nowhere near that kind.

Not only were they not in the back, they were in the very first row, and Naru glanced back just in time to see her sit down. He shook his head, so she sighed and dragged herself to the front. Why oh why couldn't a single person be too interested in the lecture to notice the little schoolgirl walking up the aisle? _Everyone_ watched her until she reached the front--including the lecturer. All the seats were taken up, too, so Mai was forced to sit, Indian-style, with Naru and Lin's feet for company. She thanked God that she had worn a long skirt today. Yay for cold weather!

"You're late," Naru muttered.

"So what else is new?" Mai shot back. She rested her elbows on her knees and focused on the speaker, but within two minutes she was lost. He had somehow switched from shiki to hitogata in the same sentence, and then started talking about something she had never heard of before as if it were intimately connected. Maybe Naru had had a point when he insisted she take notes….

Just as she was ruing her lack of a clipboard (no wonder Naru loved that thing), Lin's foot dug into her side, and he slipped a piece of paper and a pen down. Mai mouthed 'Thank you' and Lin nodded. He had obviously been waiting for Naru to look away so she might not be reprimanded, but again, life ain't sweet that way.

"I thought I told you to be prepared?"

"Since when do I have to know the psychological difference between people who choose shiki or hitotagas or Kudo-whatever?"

"Kodoku," he corrected. "If you had, you might have solved three cases by yourself already."

"You really want me to steal the spotlight next case and solve the whole thing? At least _I_ won't do it with that condescending little smirk that we all hate."

"At this rate, I'm not worried. You missed twenty minutes of good information, and you're _still_ not paying attention."

At this, Mai could only grumble. She liked being able to get in a few comebacks, but she _had_ been late… she hated it when Naru was right.

Mai tried to take notes, but it was really hard. The speaker was not Japanese, so he spoke slowly. She was positive he screwed up at least one word a sentence. He had such a dry, monotone voice, too…. How long did this lecture last? It really was boring….

Ten minutes went by… She had stopped taking notes.

Fifteen… She had stopped pretending to take notes.

Twenty… She had stopped paying attention.

Twenty-five… She had stopped pretending to pay attention.

Thirty… She felt like falling asleep.

Thirty-five… Well, Lin's foot had made another bruise in her side, and Mai's head jerked up to find the room emptying. She blushed, and saw a blush on the speakers face, too. Oops.

"Impressive, Mai. You managed to stay conscious for half of a lecture," Naru said, voice laced with cold disapproval.

"Maybe next time you shouldn't keep us all up past midnight staring at the ceiling," she snapped. "Do you have any idea how boring that motel ceiling was?"

"Would you have preferred falling asleep and getting kidnapped?"

"If I knew I would have to sit through _that_ for an hour, yes! Didn't he tell us at one point that it was easier to categorize people by what spell they used than by what turkey sandwich they grew up in?"

At this, even Lin had to snicker a little. Naru was still not amused.

"The next lecture starts at six thirty. I expect you to be there--fully prepared--at six."

"What about dinner?"

"I'm sure you'll find something."

Naru walked away, but Lin stayed back for a second.

"I think it was a chicken sandwich," he said. Mai looked up at him and just laughed. "And at least you didn't go up to the poor man and hand him a list of each and every error he had made translating from English to Japanese."

Mai sighed. "We need to work on his people skills."

"Madoka and I have been working on that for nine and a half years, but good luck."

* * *

"So, how was it?" Ayako asked with a smirk.

"I fell asleep," Mai admitted. No one was surprised.

It hadn't been that hard to find the rest of SPR; they had gathered around a display by the British Society for Psychic Research. There were videos of lab experiments--though the famous PK experiment involving a certain egotistic teenager was not present--and various papers and photos. Yasuhara had managed to find a whole binder full of pictures featuring the young Davis twins on a case.

Everyone was having a few good laughs at Naru's expense--there was one picture of an exorcism in which he and Gene appeared to be wrestling in the background, and Naru was not quite winning. Yasuhara had started a running commentary on each picture, and even Masako was laughing out loud. Her kimono sleeve only once covered her face, and that was when Yasuhara looked at her.

_Hm_… Mai thought with an evil smirk. _Good Yasuhara, eliminating my competition_…

"Maybe we could all go to the next one," Takigawa offered. "We could all fall asleep and make you look good. I could even snore, if you'd like."

Mai laughed. "Thanks, Bou-san, but I don't think that would work."

"It's a good idea, though," Yasuhara said. "Why not? We might learn something useful."

"You're in college and you want to attend a lecture you don't _have_ to go to?" Ayako asked, looking at him like he was insane.

"Unfortunately, my university doesn't offer any courses in parapsychology," Yasuhara said seriously, straightening his glasses. "I've bought a few books that delve into the subject,"--for the first time, Mai noticed that he had a paper bag that was bulging at the sides-- "But hearing from an expert would be a good opportunity."

"You could ask Naru," Masako pointed out. "I'm sure he would comply in an instant."

Ha! She smiled at him!

"I'm sure you're right, but we should still support Mai-san."

And so, it was decided.

* * *

**Funky chapter, huh? It didn't take nearly as much time to write as I thought it would. Well, see you next time, guys-- What's that you say? Mai hasn't told Naru he is the most ****idiotic, stubborn, conceited, arrogant, narcissistic, handsome, amazing, wonderful man she has ever had the misfortune to fall in love with? Oops! I must have forgotten to put it in this chapter! Oh well, I'm sure it will come up sooner or later.**

**PS: Any Ghost Hunt writers out there, contact me now for a special challenge!**

**Note from the beta to the readers: **IT IS I, THE GREAT RIZA-SAMA! Haha, just kidding. You guys _should_ thank me though, I'm the one who makes sure the story is actually comprehensible. Ama-chan has been an idiot lately, and for that I apologize. Honestly! Making her readers all disappointed like that! She should know better.

As I'm sure you've all figured out by now, the beloved author has no sense of time. Please forgive her. I do my best to keep her deadlines, but does she listen? Fat chance! -sobs- Why? Why me?

As for Mai's little rant, THAT IS CREDITED TO ME, AMA! -growls- I hate authors…

Huh? Oh! H-hello Ama… What? N-no, I haven't been taking up space in the chapter again! -laughs nervously- What do you mean you're gonna kill me? What's that flame thrower for?

Ahhh, _shit_. -runs for her life-

Please review this poor beta's hard work!


	14. Mai is Smarter Than Someone!

Chapter Fourteen: Mai is Smarter Than Someone

Mai was feeling smug as she reached the next lecture, with her entourage. It was six twenty-five, so she had officially disobeyed Naru! Of course, this did mean that there were less chairs, and Naru and Lin had only saved one, expecting her alone. Mai almost had to wrestle Masako for it, but the young medium managed to charm the man on the other side away from his seat.

Mai eyed the other girl, annoyed. Damn… why was Yasuhara so slow? He could have dazzled her in half this time.

Okay, so what ended up happening was Lin sat on one end, with Mai next to him. On Mai's right was Naru, and Masako was on his right. The people on the floor don't matter. All you have to know was that Ayako was grumbling. She did not like the _floor_. All right, back to the story.

Mai couldn't help but notice that there were a _lot_ more ordinary people here.

"Hey Naru, why's this one so crowded?"

He sighed. "If you had been paying attention to anything I said, you would have heard that this lecture is about protection from ghosts in the home. Obviously civilians are interested in hearing this. While professionals have the proper tools to exorcise ghosts without having to use many protective wards or needing to be told the warning signs, some people are not comfortable calling in outsiders, so many of them come to lessons like these…."

Mai really, really tried to pay attention. Naru was at least a better public speaker than the last guy, but he had his own special impatient look he kept just for her, and it was a _huge_ turn-off. After about ten seconds, he turned away.

"You know, Mai, if you paid attention more, you might not fail world history this year."

Mai gasped. "How do you know I'm failing world history?!"

He smirked, looking down his nose at her. "I pay attention, of course."

This time it was Lin, not Takigawa, who had to keep Mai from jumping on and pounding her irritating, snide little jackass of a boss.

"Mai-san, remember that meditation mantra we talked about?"

She sighed. "Yes, Lin-sensei, I remember."

"Perhaps now would be a good time to practice it?"

Mai sighed again. "I guess you're right." The girl took one deep breath, crossed her ankles, and folded her hands in her lap, thumbs and index fingers together as if she were going to exorcise something. She and Lin had worked on this mantra so many times, she no longer stumbled over the Chinese words.

"Wǒ bu kuài shā hai zi wǒ táo zuì zhe. Wǒ bu kuài shā hai zi wǒ táo zuì zhe. Wǒ bu kuài shā hai zi wǒ táo zuì zhe…"

"Very good."

(Translation: I will not kill the narcissist. I will not kill the narcissist. I will not kill the narcissist….)

Just then, the crowd sort of hushed. A slightly paunchy, impressive man of average height had stepped onto the little podium in the front of the room. He was very professional-looking, with neatly combed hair and a trim white suit. When he introduced himself, he had the self-assured tone that managed to convey his knowledge.

Mai--and Naru, if the look on his face was any measure--wanted to get up and walk out right then and there. Why?

Well, for one thing, they had already met the speaker.

For two… Their overall impression of the president of the Minami Paranormal Investigators was not favorable.

Mai looked at Naru pleadingly, aching to get away, but he shook his head once, slightly.

"I would like to start my introducing you to the warning signals of spirits in the home. It takes extensive training and years of experience to recognize all of these signs properly, but a few are noticeable to the average civilian…"

Mai was going to kill herself, but fifteen minutes later she sat straight up, frowning. Minami had already moved on to how to stop the ghosts, and Mai couldn't help but wonder if he wanted to hide his lack of real knowledge. She had already noticed that something was off. Mai opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it just as quickly. Only Naru noticed.

"Mai?"

"His theories--they're not correct. If he's talking about spirits, then he has the warning signs for ghosts and poltergeists messed up, right? The defenses are the same. They don't work for ghosts."

Naru smirked slightly. "But they do for poltergeists, right?"

"No… I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Because… because poltergeists aren't real ghosts, right? They're just energy. Holy objects don't affect psychic energy, so wearing them or using them would have no effect, and you can't call in someone if they get too bad--if the poltergeist is called by a human, it cannot be exorcised. John and Ayako and Bou-san all failed the exorcisms in my first case."

"How could the poltergeist be stopped?"

"Well… Making Kuroda-san aware of what she was doing was enough, right? And Lin told me how you stopped making poltergeists once you learned to control your PK." Naru's eyes tightened just a tiny little bit, but he made no comment. "And I've read how some poltergeists have occurred when people are unhappy in their surroundings, or in unfamiliar places, so putting them back in their comfortable place would stop them. Otherwise, intentional poltergeists are caused by hitogatas or other curses, right?"

"Very good, Mai." Naru lifted his gaze to Minami-san again and said, very clearly, "You're wrong."

He stopped speaking immediately, and, from the look on his face, he recognized Yasuhara very clearly. That egotistical little bastard wasn't the type to remember anyone but the most important person in the room, and no one had thought about filling Minami-san in on the true identity of their president. Anyway, this did not bother Mai--she was perfectly content to sit and back and listen as Naru gave the speaker one of his famous reprimands. The problem was, Naru hadn't said it in his voice.

He had said it in hers. So now everyone was staring at her.

"E-excuse me, miss?" the man asked, stuttering a little bit. Mai could see a faint sheen of sweat break out on his face.

Mai, furious, glanced at Naru, but he only looked down at her and nodded slightly, encouraging her in his own cold, un-encouraging way. Mai swallowed nervously.

"Er, I don't mean to be rude, but I think you've mixed up poltergeists and ghosts. Your warning signs and defenses are kind of … switched." Mai was blushing furiously, and she almost had to start chanting that mantra again.

Minami wasn't going to take this lying down. He looked back into his audience immediately and started explaining how this little schoolgirl was wrong, and Mai was not eager to correct him again. Then Naru, as if he hadn't done enough already, stood. After about a second of hesitation, Lin stood and followed him as he very slowly and calmly walked out of the room, and then Masako. Mai, her face as red as an overripe tomato, scrambled out of her seat and had to follow too. The rest of SPR had no qualms about abandoning Minami-san and showing the crowd how little the professionals thought of him. Ayako didn't even seem to notice the people watching her leave, and Yasuhara was so calm, he smiled and bowed respectfully to Minami-san before leaving.

* * *

The gang had gotten so used to eating together--spending most of the day together, in fact--that no one thought twice about going to dinner as a group, even though neither Naru nor Ayako were hungry. Naru just sat there, as comfortable as he ever was in the midst of these very comfortable people.

It took a loud, gravelly clearing of the throat for them to fall silent.

"Shibuya-san, correct?" Minami said, addressing Yasuhara.

"That would be me," Naru said calmly.

"But you called yourself--" he stopped and shook it off. "That was very rude of you. What is your name?" he asked Mai abruptly.

"Taniyama."

"There was no need to interrupt me in the middle of the lecture. It was unnecessary and very disrespectful."

"Would it not be more disrespectful to ignore the error and let you continue speaking about a flawed topic?" Naru said. He had developed the slightly confused, angry look that said "What is wrong with these people?" Mai had seen it a lot when he dealt with people who didn't know what they were talking about.

"Sooner or later someone would have noticed the lack of reason and corrected you, and that would have been embarrassing, not to mention disastrous for those who were intending to take your advice."

Minami's face was getting red. "As for _that_, I do not see what you were talking about."

"Mai has only been working in the paranormal for a year and she knows more than you do? That cannot be good for your reputation, Minami-san, especially in having been caught in such a blunder as bringing in fake psychics…."

No one can really think of a good comeback against something like that, not when they were talking to Naru, so Minami could only make a few garbled noises and walk away. Everyone exchanged a few good laughs at his expense, and they continued with their dinner.

* * *

Mai was cheerful when she went back to her room later that night. She had seen a glimmer of pride in Naru's eyes. He had tried to hide it, but it was there. This might very well be the first time Naru had felt any kind of pride for anyone but himself. It wasn't a declaration of everlasting love, but it was something.

So, not only was there a spring in Mai's step, but she was actually _humming_ as she made her way through the hotel. It was late. There were a few people wandering home, but for the most part, the different rooms--like Conference Room 6--were empty.

Only Conference Room 6 wasn't empty.

Mai caught a glimpse of a kimono and smiled to herself. Masako. Perhaps someone had decided to steal a few more minutes with a certain brainiac? Mai had meant to sneak past without interrupting, but the lack of something caught her eye--color. There was no colored shape with Masako, only the black of the shadows. Mai's heart stopped as Masako stood on her tiptoes to kiss Naru.

All the breath left Mai's lungs. She waited for a moment, _willing_ Naru do straighten and give Masako one of those sharp looks. He didn't do anything.

Mai spun around and walked away. She paused at the elevator, and decided to take the stairs. She needed something other than silence, and hard physical exercise sounded wonderful. Mai finally reached her room, several floors up, and put her hands on her knees. She was panting--those stairs had not been a good idea. By the time she stood upright, panting was not the problem. No, the tears streaming down her face were the problem.

"Mai?"

"Mai, what's wrong?"

Dimly, Mai heard Ayako, and felt Bou-san hug her. She tried to say nothing was wrong, that everything was fine, but she couldn't. She just shook her head and hugged back tighter.

**

* * *

**

Aw, poor Mai. Will she ever get to yell at Naru? Next chapter, perhaps? Ooh, maybe she can slap Masako!

**Response to last chapter's beta note: **Riza does nothing at all to help with my deadlines! All she does is bug me about when _she_ can read it! (**UNTRUE!**) Oh, and, also, when I told her how I was giving you guys the evil disappointing cliffhanger, her exact words were, "That's so evil! You should totally do it!" (**DID NOT!**)

Oh, and considering I haven't even posted a disclaimer since like chapter four or five, much less given her credit, I don't think she should care. Fuyumi Ono should care, but she hasn't come knockin' on my door, so TOO BAD, RIZA! (**SCREW YOU! SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE NEXT CHAPTER YOU SEND TO ME FOR 'EDITING'!**)

She is right about the typos, though… (**Damn right I am**.)


	15. Drama For All!

Chapter Fifteen: Drama For All!

_**Now, when we left off, Naru and Masako were making out, Mai was in tears, and Ayako and Bou-san had found her. Righty-o!**_

"Mai, sweetie, as much as I want to help, you've been crying for twenty minutes and we still don't know what's wrong," Bou-san said, semi-patiently. Ayako glared at him. "What?"

"Go get her some tea or something," she sighed. Almost gratefully, he scampered out of their room. They had brought her there and set her on the bed, trying to calm her down. Bou-san sent one last sympathetic glance back from the door. Mai sniffled.

"I'm sorry."

"Tell me what he did," Ayako said, pulling the younger girl into a sisterly hug.

"I'm just being stupid," Mai choked out.

"You've said that three times already, Mai. What's_ making_ you stupid?"

Mai sniffled again and rested her head on her hands. "I--I just saw Masako kissing Naru," she mumbled, her voice getting quiet. "They were in the conference room, only I don't think they saw me."

"And--and he _let_ her?" Ayako said, her voice thick with disbelief.

"As far as I saw, yeah. Why?"

"Well, it's just--" the miko bit her lip, trying to think of a delicate way to put it. "He hasn't exactly seemed--enamored of her, has he? It's not like she hasn't tried before. Er--I don't know if you heard, but a few days ago--"

"I heard," Mai said shortly. Let's just say that Masako had missed "dating" Naru, and he was not nearly as eager as she was to reenter that little arrangement.

"I mean, the girl's stubborn, but not as stubborn as you, and I'm sure she can take the hint."

"She wasn't going to take her eyes off of Naru," Mai said miserably. "I'd probably be a lot better if I gave up hope."

"Don't do that, Mai. If you try and combine someone like Naru, who has difficulty delivering civil niceties, let alone a compliment, and Masako, who obviously needs to be pampered--I mean, she's in TV for goodness's sake!--there's bound to be trouble. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go kill someone. I'll be right back."

"Okay. Who?"

"I haven't decided yet. One of them. Maybe Houshou, if he gets in my way. God, I hope that doesn't happen."

Ayako left, and Mai curled up on the mattress, closing her eyes. She had stopped crying, and the tears were starting to dry on her cheeks. The door opened, and a hot cup of tea was placed on the night table.

"Thanks, Bou-san," she said quietly.

"Does someone need a hug?" he asked in a childish voice. Mai giggled.

"Yes."

Mai smiled slightly, squeezing Bou-san back. Between him and Ayako, she was already feeling calmer. So what if her life seemed to have gone from great to god-awful in ten minutes? Not many people were lucky enough to have such a loving family.

* * *

Ayako stormed over to the room that Lin and Naru shared and pounded on the door. Lin opened it almost instantly with a frightened face. If he had been shorter, Ayako's still-pounding fist would have connected with his nose; as it was, he was only a little out of breath as all the air was shoved from his chest.

"Did he tell you where he was going?" she demanded.

"Naru? He was here just a few minutes ago, he--"

"WHERE?"

* * *

Naru was sitting at the bar of a restaurant, thinking, not drinking. Occasionally he took a bite of the food on his plate, but he wasn't paying attention to that. Absentmindedly, his fingers tapped his chin as he thought. Usually it would be a pen, with his clipboard at his knee, but he wasn't at the point where he was constantly documenting everything at this convention. He might have to; when Mai started correcting professionals, there had to be something weird going on.

"Outta my way!"

Naru turned at Ayako's voice, surprised. "Ayako?"

The miko was muttering to herself angrily. Before Naru had a chance to say anything else, she pulled her fist back and punched him with surprising strength. Naru fell against the bar, one hand going to his throbbing nose. There was something warm and wet flowing past his fingers, and Ayako didn't seem to be done. Now his arms and chest were under assault.

"Matsu-- What the he-- stop that!" Ayako finally stopped, breathing heavily. There was a slightly manic glint in her eyes. "What the hell was that?" Naru spluttered, as close to not being composed as he was ever likely to get.

"You are an _ass_!"

"What is it _this_ time?"

She didn't answer. "What the hell were you thinking? You heartless son--bastard, why would you--_idiot_!"

With that, she gave him one last smack--how did Bou-san deal with it?--and stormed off, muttering to herself. Naru watched her go, completely nonplussed, and dimly aware of the fact that everyone within a twenty-foot radius was staring at him, stunned.

"Here." The bartender tossed him a paper towel, which Naru pressed gratefully against his nose, applying pressure until the bleeding slowed. "Girlfriend?"

"_No_," Naru said shortly, standing. He pushed away the food, not remotely hungry anymore, and moved to pay.

"What'd you do?"

"Even if I knew, do you think I'd tell you?" Naru snapped. He stalked out. He was beginning to get an idea of what had set Ayako off, and he didn't like it one bit.

* * *

_Let's check on Lin…_

"Yes, he's gotten better--a _lot_ better, actually…" He laughed at someone's response on the other line. "No, not that good. I'm trying to stay out of it. Don't want to scare him away, right?" He heard angry footsteps on the stairs, and hung up with a hasty 'I love you' (**I wonder who he's talking to…**).

The angry teenager slammed the door and stormed into the bathroom before Lin could say anything. He heard Naru muttering to himself, and couldn't help but walk over.

"Naru, what--what happened to your _face_?" he asked, changing his mind in the middle of his sentence.

Naru kept his eyes on the mirror, running a cloth under cold water. "Ayako."

"She must have been pissed. Why?" Naru shrugged, wiping bits of blood from his face.

"Maybe because Masako kissed me? I'm not sure, she wasn't very clear. Do you know if we have any ice?"

"She _what_?"

"She wasn't very clear," Naru repeated impatiently. "I don't see what the big--"

"No, you idiot, Masako!"

"Oh." He shrugged. "She kissed me, and I don't know how Ayako found out, but she seemed to think it matters. What are you doing?"

Lin only hit his head against twice, before his young and stupid boss made some irritating comment about losing brain cells. "Did you ever consider Mai?"

"What?"

Lin looked at the boy sadly. For the first time, he had to acknowledge the fact that, when it came to girls, Naru was even more clueless than the majority of teenage boys. At one point, he hadn't been--Lin was almost ninety percent sure this wasn't the boy's first kiss, and he _had_ been on a date before. But that was more than a year ago. Oliver Davis, though reserved, had never been as closed-down as Shibuya Kazuya was now. Kazuya was a social idiot.

Unfortunately, his father wasn't here, Naru would not listen to Bou-san, Yasuhara was too close to Naru's age, and John was too hopelessly naïve to even be considered. Lin would have to remedy the situation himself. He was _not_ looking forward to it.

"As hard as this may be for you to understand, most girls--as well as much of the world--actually consider a kiss to mean something."

"Good. I hope it meant a _lot_ to Masako. Now, do we have any ice or should I go get some? I think my nose just doubled in size."

Lin's legs felt weak, and he couldn't find the voice to respond. After a moment, Naru turned to find his assistant openly gaping at him.

"What is wrong with you?"

"You said--Masako--that you hoped--"

"I walked away and told her to find someone else. What's wrong with that?"

Lin sighed in relief, and paused to think for a moment. Mai knew Naru too well--and had seen too many girls swooning over him--to assume that he preferred Masako just because she kissed him. She wasn't the kind to burst into tears and run to Ayako without waiting, just for a minute, to see how Naru reacted. She would stop and wait for Naru to shove the girl away--which, given his personality, was inevitable. If, however, that didn't happen…

"Immediately?"

"Hm?"

Naru had shoved past him and found the bucket of ice on the counter. He tended to his bruises, lounging back on his bed. He had that "I'm ignoring you" face on, the one that made Lin want to punch him.

"You said you walked away. Immediately?"

"Well … not quite." There was a hint of mischief in Naru's eyes, which was really scary. "It was a surprisingly good kiss, you know."

Lin sighed and closed his eyes, annoyed. He _really_ didn't want to do this, but he liked Mai. If she had to compete with Naru's love for himself and his own amusement…. The girl needed all the help he could get.

"Look, Naru, you have got to start--"

"_Stop_." Naru suddenly sat straight up, looking horrified. "I got it, I need to be more charming, you're right. The monk already gave me one of those Big Brother speeches and I would really _not_ like another one."

Grateful, Lin smiled. It would have taken a lot less than that for him to abandon the subject. "I'm sorry I missed that one. How was it?"

The younger boy shuddered. "I prefer not to think about it."

"Right … Well, I think I'm going to get a drink. Have fun with your nose." Lin grabbed his jacket and left, but at the door he paused. "You know … flowers might be a good idea."

* * *

She pushed open the door hesitantly, not wanting to wake Mai, but the other girl was already awake, her arms wrapped around her pajama-clad knees. Masako smiled sheepishly, fully aware of the fact that she was wandering into their hotel room at six-thirty in the morning, wearing the same clothes as yesterday, which were so folded and rumpled that it looked like she had slept in them--which, in fact, she had.

"Good morning, Mai."

"'Morning." Mai's eyes were red from lack of sleep. Or … maybe something else.

"We were up all night," Masako blurted out. "Talking."

"Oh?" Mai said, politely disinterested.

A knock on the door stopped Masako from replying, and the girl turned to answer it. A boy of about thirteen was standing there with a bunch of carnations in his hand.

"Can I help you?" Masako asked, curious.

"Yeah. Are you Mai?"

"Me? No, but she's right here. Do you need her for something?"

"No, but this guy gave me 1,164 yen (10) to give these to her."

"Who?"

"And another 600 not to give you his name, not that he told me or anything. I can't describe him either, sorry."

"Well if he's already paid you, then what's the problem?"

The boy shivered. "I don't want to cross that guy, no matter what."

Masako was starting to get a hint. "Let me guess…. All in black, pale, not the kind of man you'd expect to be carrying around pink flowers?"

"Yeah. Anyway, could you just give these to Mai-san?"

"Of course." Masako turned to Mai with wide eyes. "Did you hear all of that?"

Mai nodded. Masako held out the flowers and Mai unfolded herself to go over and take them. There were eight flowers, all light pink, tied with four ribbons--two pink and two white. Her name was written in a messy, small script that she would have recognized anywhere on a thin white card stuck between the flowers. She didn't even to lift the bouquet to her face; the familiar scent wafted up to her. Mai almost smiled, but then she tossed them in the trash and went back to her bed.

"Mai?" Masako asked bewildered. "What was--"

"He's absolutely clueless. I don't even want to bother getting my hopes up if I know it doesn't matter."

Masako was starting to realize what was going on. She walked over, very composed, and sat on the side of the bed. Mai was lying on her side, looking away from the medium. Masako put her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Mai, I was up all night talking--"

"Yes, you've already said that."

"… to Yasuhara."

There was a moment of silence, and Mai sat straight up, twisting at the waist. "_What_?"

Masako turned a light shade of pink. "Well, I was very embarrassed. Yasuhara-san was the first one I found, and he wouldn't let me … er, I suppose you could say I was not allowed to keep walking without telling him what had happened."

"What… how did you go from Naru to Yasuhara in half an hour," Mai demanded.

Masako turned red and her eyes flashed angrily. "What do you mean by _that_?"

"Nothing, just… you were never going to just give up on him, were you? I mean-- wait, why were you embarrassed?"

"You would be too if you spent a minute and a half kissing someone before they pushed you away and told you to find someone else to play your boy toy, because they weren't qualified for the role," she said, somewhat bitterly.

"Ouch. But seriously… you and Yasuhara? I won't pretend I didn't see a little something, but I didn't expect a change this sudden."

Masako pulled her knees up onto the bed, thoughtful. She had wondered, herself. "He's very … different. Respected, yet he acts so immature sometimes it's impossible to tell if he deserves it or not, and half the time you can't tell if he's making fun of you or not. I suppose he presents the same sort of mystery as Naru … only more cheerful and affectionate."

Mai thought about it for a minute. "Well," she said slowly. "That he may be, but he's in love with himself as much as Naru too, only he shows it less."

Masako giggled. "He pulls his nose out of a book once in a while."

"He shows everyone else up."

"He handles things without snapping or getting frightened."

"He never shows anyone what he's thinking."

"At least _he_ lov--" Masako suddenly clamped her mouth shut. Mai gasped.

"Hara Masako, what were you about to say?"

"At least he likes me," she mumbled.

"That was _not_ what you said." Masako looked away, lifting her chin defiantly.

"Yes it was."

"Are you in love with Yasuhara?"

"Of course not." Masako looked down and blushed. "Not yet."

"…So if Naru grows a heart, I can have it?"

Masako smiled. "Sure."

Mai sighed. "Why does it feel even harder when I don't have to compete with you?"

"You still have to compete with _him_."

**

* * *

**

Wow… Masako is out of the picture. Yay! But damn, Naru's still in love with himself. Well, we'll find a way around that. Wasn't this chapter long? Yay!

**Sad, awful, horrible news, guys: Chapter 16 will be the final chapter in the My Freakin' Night Sky story. Never fear, however! A sequel will hopefully be published in a couple of months if I find a way to make it less stereotypical. Right now, I'm writing it under the title "Sunshine on the Stupid Daisies," but that is liable to change because I don't really like it that much. Whether or not it is published under that title, I'll post a prologue or sneak peek or something in this story when it's ready for the public, so don't abandon me just yet!**

**A bientot,**

**Ama.**


	16. Finale

Mai and Masako, eager to put aside their once-beloved rivalry, went down to breakfast about an hour later and sat together. Ayako sent them a curious glance; she alone had witnessed how heated their arguments had gotten, once the guys and girls had gone into their separate room on cases. Mai just shrugged, with a look that cheerfully said she wouldn't tell.

They had barely been seated when Yasuhara stood and walked over. Without giving her a hint of a choice, he took her hand and kissed it, making a deep bow. Everyone except for Mai, who was in the know, stared, flabbergasted, and Masako's eyes widened. Even worse, she couldn't move her kimono sleeve to hide her shock, as the sleeve in question was still Yasuhara's captive.

"Yasuhara-san…?"

"Thank you for your charming conversation, Masako-san," he said with a serene, innocent smile. "It was most enjoyable."

Masako's whole face instantly turned a light shade of pink, and Mai got the feeling that it hadn't always been that charming. Ayako and Bou-san rounded on the girl mercilessly and started asking questions, which she, flustered, couldn't quite find the answers to. However, within two minutes they all hushed as Naru dropped into a chair. Lin, at the head of the table, stood and went over to the buffet-style breakfast.

Naru looked awful. He was paler than usual, with dark smudges under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept at all. Of course, that might be ignored, considering his nose was about the same color.

"Uh, what happened to your face?" Bou-san asked with a raised eyebrow. Naru shot him a withering glare.

"Ask your girlfriend," he sneered.

"To be fair, you did strangle me once," Ayako said calmly, just a little bit smug.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Naru snapped. "I didn't realize you were possessed, that makes _everything_ better."

Lin sat down and placed a steaming plate of food, which Mai thought was not a good idea. Why did he feel it necessary to feed the jerk's ego? But then Naru glared at Lin too, and slowly shoved the plate away.

Lin shoved it back.

Naru shoved it away.

Lin shoved it back.

Naru shoved it away.

Lin shoved it back.

Naru shoved it away.

Lin shoved it back and kept his hand there, with the calm but stony look that said resistance was futile.

Naru shoved it off the table.

"Wow, you're a bit of a jackass this morning, aren't you?" Mai quipped cheerfully. Some of her anger dissipated at the sight of Naru being so aggravated.

Naru snapped something in English that must have been very rude, because John gasped and Lin uttered a sharp word of reproach. Mai made a mental note to look up the Japanese translation for "**fk off**" as soon as she was near a computer.

(-(-)-)

"Oh girls," Ayako sang, coming up behind Mai and Masako as they were on their way to the convention. She draped an arm around each of their shoulders, looking very, very happy. "Where do you think you're going?"

"The convention, you know, what we're here for?" Mai pointed out.

"Oh no you're not. I just found out that this lovely, lovely hotel has a little itty bitty spa in it, with massages and mud baths and a steam room and a Jacuzzi. Where do you think we're going _now_?"

"The gym?" Masako offered. Mai stared at her, shocked, and then burst out laughing. In her head, she checked off the third sign of the apocalypse. The first was Lin having a conversation, the second was John being rude, and the third was Masako being funny. The eighth and final sign of the apocalypse was Bou-san becoming the Dali Llama.

Ayako didn't see the humor; she simply glared. "No. Come on!"

Mai scrunched her nose. "Er, Ayako, I love you and all, but I'm not really the spa kind of girl. How 'bout you go and I just sit and hang out?"

"Yeah, I guess that works. Let's go!"

(-(-)-)

It only took five minutes for Bou-san and the rest of the guys to show up, dragging Lin along with them. Ayako insisted they leave, Takigawa refused, they argued, and Mai ended up leaving before the very irritated-looking employee threw them all out. She decided to go back to the room and start packing.

Mai almost had a heart attack when she got into the elevator and Naru got in after her.

"Naru! Er, there's a perfectly good explanation for why I'm not at the convention…"

"Save it."

It was an incredibly awkward elevator ride. Naru didn't say a word, and Mai could only fidget. The doors opened, and she nearly leapt out when Naru finally started talking and she stopped dead.

"Why is your opinion of me so low?" he demanded suddenly.

"What?" Mai asked, startled.

"In your book. You constantly have me ordering you around, yelling at people, cold and distant and snappish. Why?"

"You read it?" Mai was aware that her voice was rising in volume, alarmed. She was frantically trying to remember if there was anything in there that might give her away…

"If you don't want people to read it, don't drop it in the service staircase. I nearly broke my neck stepping on it last night. Why did you write me like that?"

"Look, that's not how I intended it, but that's just how you come off as sometimes. Naru, I have a high opinion of you, just a low opinion of your manners."

"And you haven't even mentioned the flowers yet." There was a long, heavy pause in which Mai swallowed her thoughts and chose her words delicately.

"I … I didn't accept them."

Mai could see that this was the last thing Naru had expected, and she wondered if he had ever been rejected in anything or by anyone before.

"Why not?"

"Naru … do you have any idea why I leave carnations on my parents' graves? They have a meaning. 'I'll never forget you'--that's what they stand for. And that's why I threw yours away, because you're never _aware_ of people, forget remembering them. It didn't fit."

"How does that fit into anything? It's a charming thought, but it's not like my actions mean anything different!" he said, offended.

"It's the principle, Naru! You can't just change your mind any time you feel like it and expect everyone to obey your silliest whim. Life doesn't work that way."

"I understand that perfectly, but whether or not some stupid flowers mean what you think I'm thinking shouldn't matter."

Mai was shaking with anger. Hadn't he learned anything the last time he had insulted her beliefs? She barely even noticed that the whole SPR group had come up behind her, arguing about whose fault it was that they were banned from the spa. She didn't hear their chatter, and thus didn't hear the silence when it stopped just in time to let her next words ring out clearly.

"You are the most idiotic, stubborn, conceited, arrogant, narcissistic, handsome, amazing, WONDERFUL man I have ever had the misfortune to fall in love with!"

Naru's eyes widened, Ayako gave a delighted gasp, and Mai realized what she had just said. Her heart stopped, and her hands snapped over her mouth. There was a moment of complete silence. No one moved or made a sound.

"Ummm … I didn't say that."

"Yes you did," Yasuhara interrupted, smiling serenely. Mai whirled around.

"No, I didn't," she snarled. She turned back around and started babbling to Naru, trying to look unaffected and keep her cool. "Of course I didn't, 'cos that would be thoughtless and embarrassing and I'd be blushing, and I'm not blushing. Hahaha … you know what, I'm not feeling so good, I think I have a fever, you know when people have fevers they say crazy things. In fact, this whole thing might just be a hallucination, because I would never say that. Um, I don't know who I was talking--"

And Naru was kissing her.

That was good, she was only embarrassing herself even more… WAIT, HOLY SHIT, NARU WAS KISSING HER??

But he was, because that was his hand holding her chin and keeping her face firmly anchored to his, and those were his lips molding gently to her mouth, pressed in a simple, innocent kiss that still managed to burn her all over and turn her brain into mush and make her legs feel like Jell-O…

It took Mai a full ten seconds to realize that Naru had broken the kiss, though he was still holding her face close. He was speaking lowly just to her, his breath blowing into her face.

"And you, you stupid, stupid girl, are the most hard-headed, ridiculous, hopelessly naive, adorable, lively woman I have ever been forced to love," he whispered. "Congratulations."

Naru turned and walked away, completely nonchalant, while the whole SPR crowd engulfed Mai, all talking excitedly. She just stood there, completely stunned.

Wait … had he just insulted her again?

* * *

**PHEW! It is done! I know you are all really, really pissed at me for not updating weeks ago, but I have a perfectly good excuse--I mean explanation.**

**I have had an hour and a half of homework every night, as well as several important projects worth like half my grade. I have had to work my way up from a C in French, memorize the Grand Old Fucking Flag for band to march in this shitty parade, and I literally have softball six times a week. This chapter literally bit and clawed its way out. I'M SORRY!!**

**I luv you all, and this really is THE END.**

**May the llamas be with you.**


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